Business Email Hosting Comparison Australia 2022
Our guide compares Australia's business email hosting services, the annual fees and how to get a free business email mailbox for your business
Updated 31 May 2024
Summary
Why Business Email?
Our guide covers:
Summary
- Australian businesses are increasingly moving towards boosting their branding and exposure. Beyond a website, one of the best ways to do this is with a domain-associated business email address.
- We compare the providers and shortlist the best business email providers for Australian businesses.
- Important - your domain registrar may offer business email hosting but you're free to pick any provider you like, so you are not tied into any service or subscription.
Why Business Email?
- Beyond free email solutions (GMAIL, Hotmail and Yahoo) lies business email address which automatically gives your business a more professional image.
- You can pick any email account for your branding - sales@, hello@ or info@ are just some of the many examples.
- Best of all, with the right service provider, you have a platform that quarantines your emails and allows you to have dedicated support, uptime and service.
- A professional email address is ALWAYS advert-free and easily accessed for adding and removing team members as needed.
Our guide covers:
Our Favourite Business Email Hosting Services for Australian SMEs
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We've seen a lot of improvements in business email services since we first published this guide in 2016. Prices have fallen, storage space has increased, and features have been added. All of this is good news for every Australian business owner.
What email service is best? Everyone's business email needs are different, so we've shortlisted three must-consider options with a specific appeal based on business size and budgets. Our top three business email services are as follows:
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Know This:
- We believe the best business email service is low in price, big on storage and generous with 24/7 support. This lets your business run without any restraints or friction and protects each team member's email functionality.
- Business email setup doesn't take long, but you may need some help if unfamiliar with DNS records or nameservers. The email hosting service support team can assist.
- Once you've chosen a service, it can be disruptive to your business email to switch to another service later. For this reason, it's essential to make an informed decision upfront.
- Domain registrars sell email hosting services, but they are not always the cheapest and may not offer the most storage.
Business Email Hosting - Must Know Facts and Considerations
- The more email address you need, the higher the ongoing cost: If you plan to have multiple email addresses and minimise costs, it is essential to pick a service that offers a low per-address cost. Having this gives you the freedom to add accounts like office@ or sales@ and set up an email account for each sales team member, etc.
- Support is critical should a disaster happen: It's rare, but an email server can go offline. When it does, or even if you need basic help with a technical issue, it is critical to have 24/7 support and preferably a number to call. Any email provider that doesn't offer this should be avoided.
- The pricing varies widely: Despite the actual product (functional email) being near-identical between providers, the pricing differs considerably.
Next Steps
- Before deciding on the service you want to go ahead with, we recommend that you contact 2-3 shortlisted providers and ensure they meet your needs.
- Please consider this a starter guide to help you build your small business branding with a professional email address.
Business Email Service Comparison
Small monthly costs can grow into large expenses when you start adding on team members and setting them up with an email address. Our review of the starter email packages from each provider covers the pros, cons and what you need to know.
Our Favourite Business Email Hosting Services for Australian SMEs
|
We've seen a lot of improvements in business email services since we first published this guide in 2016. Prices have fallen, storage space has increased, and features have been added. All of this is good news for every Australian business owner.
What email service is best? Everyone's business email needs are different, so we've shortlisted three must-consider options with a specific appeal based on business size and budgets. Our top three business email services are as follows:
|
|
Know This:
- We believe the best business email service is low in price, big on storage and generous with 24/7 support. This lets your business run without any restraints or friction and protects each team member's email functionality.
- Business email setup doesn't take long, but you may need some help if unfamiliar with DNS records or nameservers. The email hosting service support team can assist.
- Once you've chosen a service, it can be disruptive to your business email to switch to another service later. For this reason, it's essential to make an informed decision upfront.
- Domain registrars sell email hosting services, but they are not always the cheapest and may not offer the most storage.
Detailed Provider Reviews - iinet vs Vodien vs ZOHO vs Ventra IP vs webCentral vs Crazy Domains vs Google Workspace vs GoDaddy vs Melbourne IT:
- More details: Vodien
- Price: From $5.25/month
What we like?
- The pricing - We don't know the renewal costs so urge customers to be cautious. We have reached out to Vodien and will update this review when they respond re: renewal rates.
- 24/7 freephone support, essential for peace of mind all provided with Australian hosting.
- The 3GB storage space - this is likely to suit a standard business perfectly.
- Fast integration, reliable service and uptime meaning no missed emails.
What we don't like?
- Very little. The pricing makes this option very attractive.
Our view:
- If you demand 24/7 support, access your email on desktop and phone and don't send email in great volumes (or delete emails regularly), the Vodien Australia service is strong offering.
- More details: ZOHO Mail
- Price: "Forever free" account; up to five users, 5GB storage per user, 25MB attachment limit and access to mobile apps for email.
What we like?
- It's free. That is huge when comparing this critical factor among the email hosting service providers in our comparison.
- The support manuals that are provided for connecting the platform to a number of devices, with very little limits.
- The service includes up to 5 email accounts, each with 5GB of space.
- The easiness of setting ZOHO up - just make a couple of changes in your domain DNS and get your email online within 10 minutes.
What we don't like?
- Because it's free, there is little support other than ZOHO community boards, but you get what you pay for in this respect, and in our experience the solution operates reliably meaning your business emails will always be sent and delivered.
Our view:
- ZOHO is free but its use-at-your-own-risk given there is no formal support unless you upgrade to a paid service. However, it's attractive to any business wanting to control costs. If you are an Australian startup, small business or established SME looking to adopt business email but don't want a financial commitment, Zoho will be attractive.
- More details: VentraIP
- Price: From $2.95/month
What we like?
- This is a standard email service, with a 5GB storage box.
- The freedom to pay monthly, quarterly or annually.
- The 9am to 9pm phone support.
What we don't like?
- Slow email replies for simple support queries, which requires logging in to your service/portal and submitting.
Our view:
- We don't see a huge amount of merit in the VentraIP service when compared to others in the price range, but it is worth taking note that if you are an existing client using them as a domain registrar they do offer discounts.
- More details: Webcentral
- Price: From $9.99/month (with 50 GB email storage)
What we like?
- A guaranteed 99.9% uptime
- The 50 GB storage that's more than enough for small businesses
What we don't like?
- Not much else
Our view:
- With a starter plan offering 50GB storage, Webcentral's email hosting services offers value for money.
- More details: CrazyDomains
- Price: From $2.31/month (with 5GB user plan)
What we like?
- CrazyDomains delivers helpful pre-sales consultations,
- The service offers expect helpfulness
- Good value for a paid email hosting solution, with 10-user plans from around $2.31 a month and unlimited user plans from around $7.25/month. This is the cost affordable professional service in Australia.
What we don't like?
- Slow email replies for simple support queries, albeit communicated effectively.
- Not an Australian provider, despite a .com.au domain name and Australian phone numbers.
Our view:
- If you want value for money with a 5+ person team all needing business email addresses, CrazyDomains is the cheapest provider in Australia.
- More details: Google Workspace
- Price: From $9.02/month
What we like?
- The speed, reliability, 24/7 support and reliability of the service.
- A large 30GB storage limit for your inbox - this will set you up forever unless you are very heavy in file-based emails.
- The platform includes the ability to sync with all your other Google products - Calender, Youtube etc.
What we don't like?
- The costs! Google charges $9.02/email account, with no discounts . So if you're a growing business, this is going to get expensive as you get no confession discounts (which exists in the favoured providers above) and thus pay $100+ per team member per year. This can add up.
Our view:
- You're paying for a service with Google, you're getting some of the best features and service. However, if you have many team members all needing an email address, the costs can add up and cheaper alternatives are available elsewhere.
GoDaddy Business Email Hosting
- More details: GoDaddy
- Price: From $12.95/month via Microsoft 365
What we like?
- The 24/7 "can do attitude" service! It really does not get much better than GoDaddy, who deliver the best technical support in Australia.
- The simplicity of the control panel, easy setup and excellent resources meaning getting your business email online is near-instant.
What we don't like?
- The pricing. At $150+ a year for 10 GB account isn't market-leading.
Our view:
- If you want 24/7 support and are an existing Godaddy domain registration customer, this this service will probably be for you as the integration is seamless.Our research also confirms GoDaddy's domain registration and renewal costs lead the market. We also recommend prospective clients should contact GoDaddy via online chat and ask for a discount - their support agents are often quick to give it.
Melbourne IT Business Email Hosting
- More details: MelbourneIT
- Price: From $14.08/month via Microsoft 365
What we like?
- 50GB mailbox - the biggest available within this provider comparison.
- MelbourneIT is a proven provider, and their support can't be faulted.
- Australian server/hosting
What we don't like?
- For a business email service, you don't get much in the way of features.
- Expensive domain registration if you use MelbourneIT (per our review here)
Our view:
- While MelbourneIT has a loyal following, their offering is similar to others, we do suggest alternatives to save on costs.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much should email hosting cost?
The cost depends on what you're prepared to pay. You can opt for a free service, but there are always downsides, such as limited support or storage size. Given how critical reliable business email is to any business, we suggest a paid service with 24/7 support and an excellent reputation
What is the best business email host in Australia?
What is the best business email host in Australia? </h4>
This depends on what you're looking for. Our shortlist of reliable and price-competitive providers includes Google Workspace, CrazyDomains and Vodien.
This depends on what you're looking for. Our shortlist of reliable and price-competitive providers includes Google Workspace, CrazyDomains and Vodien.
Can I integrate calendars into my business email account?
Yes - just be sure that the service you're paying for includes this as a feature. Most do, but it's essential to check.
Are my emails secure? What happens if there's a server problem?
Yes - your emails are secure in theory, although servers are always subject to attacks or hacking. If there is a server problem, which is rare, your emails may be down for a few hours while the service provider fixes the issue.
Should I save money and use a free email just as Gmail instead of a paid business email?
This depends on how you want to present your business. Business emails connected to your domain are far more professional, and for this reason, having one may be worth the ongoing expense.
Our Favourite Business Email Hosting Services for Australian SMEs
|
We've seen a lot of improvements in business email services since we first published this guide in 2016. Prices have fallen, storage space has increased, and features have been added. All of this is good news for every Australian business owner.
What email service is best? Everyone's business email needs are different, so we've shortlisted three must-consider options with a specific appeal based on business size and budgets. Our top three business email services are as follows:
|
|
Know This:
- We believe the best business email service is low in price, big on storage and generous with 24/7 support. This lets your business run without any restraints or friction and protects each team member's email functionality.
- Business email setup doesn't take long, but you may need some help if unfamiliar with DNS records or nameservers. The email hosting service support team can assist.
- Once you've chosen a service, it can be disruptive to your business email to switch to another service later. For this reason, it's essential to make an informed decision upfront.
- Domain registrars sell email hosting services, but they are not always the cheapest and may not offer the most storage.
